A Long Time Coming
by SilverEyes0310
Summary: What if the cure was found? What if they gave Klaus a choice? And where does Caroline fit into all of this? You know it's been a long time coming...
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a long, long time since I last wrote something. I just haven't had the time. But now I'm sick in bed with the flu and because I have nothing better to do, I decided to find myself a pen and some paper and scribble some things down. This isn't going to be a super long story. I'll just see where it takes me.. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my sometimes twisted imagination.**

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**~A Long Time Coming~**

Chapter One

Klaus was sitting on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. Caroline had left. He hadn't tried to stop her. Maybe he should have. Maybe he should have tried to talk to her, tried to apologize for everything he had done to her. Just for what he had done to her though.. he wouldn't apologize for what he did to her friends. They had it coming. But not Caroline, she always tried to do what was right and he just couldn't blame her for any of it. Her heart was pure, she was pure.

When his blood had cured her, she had jumped out of his arms and sped out of the living room. He had just stared at her. He could have stopped her, she wasn't that fast and she was still a bit weakened by the poison, but he didn't. She had turned around and looked at him. Really looked. _"I just want to know one thing." _She had said as she took a step back towards the room. _"Would you really have let me die? Would you have watched me as I was fading away, just to prove that you're the meanest hybrid around? Would you have saved me, if I didn't say the things I said?"_

Would he have saved her? yes, of course, this is Caroline we're talking about, of course he wouldn't have let her die. He was just waiting for Tyler to cave.. Right?'

_"I don't know."_ He had answered and she had left.

In walked the cavalry. Each and every one of them with big smiles on their faces, so he knew what to expect.

How much time had passed since Caroline left? He had no idea. A quick glance outside told him it was still early in the morning but what day?

"So.. we've been thinking about this and we decided that it would be a waste to use the cure on someone as vile as you." The eldest of the Salvatore brothers began.

"But we know how much you would hate it to be human." Stefan finished.

"So we'll give you a choice." This was the Bennett witch speaking. "Take the cure and become human or I will desiccate you and we'll hide your body where no one will ever find it."

He laughs at that. How on earth do you decide between those two options?

"I would rather die than become a human."

Tyler takes a step forward with a grin on his face. He has probably seen Caroline and knows that he won so now he feels superior. "I'm afraid that wasn't one of the options, Klaus. We wouldn't want your whole bloodline to disappear." Right because then he would disappear along it, so would the Salvatore brothers and the witch's mother.

"Think about it. We expect an answer by midnight." And out they walked.

He threw himself back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Human or desiccated? Sighing he closed his eyes.

He felt her presence before he heard her. It was always like that. She could light up a room just by stepping inside and she didn't even realize it. She had never realized how amazing she was. If only she would have let him show her. He would have tried everything just to make her see how beautiful and perfect she was. But now it was too late. She hated him and by midnight it wouldn't matter anyway.

"Hi." She whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She seemed fine so he guessed that his blood did its magic. Her neck was fully healed, not even a scratch was to be seen. There was a rosy blush on her cheeks that made her look so human. Her blond curls fell around her face like a halo. If anyone would have told him that she was an angel and he didn't know about all of the vampire stuff, he would have definitely believed them.

"Have you decided what you're gonna do yet?"

He smiles. "It will never come to a decision, love. Their plans always fail."

"This one seems pretty solid though."

He sits up and turns towards her. "Why are you here, Caroline?"

"They offered me the cure."

She was obviously still a vampire, he could feel it. "Why didn't you take it?"

"I don't know. Something was holding me back. I'm not sure what but.." She looks away and takes a deep breath. "Before I was turned, I was so easily hurt. Just a silly cheerleader whose worst worry was how many boys liked her. I was naïve, miserable. I don't want to go back to being that person."

"You wouldn't go back to being that person, sweetheart. You would be you as you are now but without the vampire speed and super healing powers. You would be human but you wouldn't forget everything you've learned. Your personality would remain unchanged. You would be you, just alive."

"It sounds so easy, why don't you do it then? If you would be you, just without the vampire perks."

"Because I wouldn't just be me without the vampire perks. I would still be a werewolf, remember? I wouldn't be able to fight the call of the full moon. I would have to turn every single time. And not just that but as a human I would be an easy prey for all of my enemies. If they would get their hands on me they could do anything they wanted. Kill me, torture me.. and there would be nothing I could do to stop them. Because I would be weak. I can't be weak."

"If you don't take the cure, they'll desiccate you."

"Yes, and if it really comes to that I think I'll just take my chances. I'll just hope someone will find me one day."

She takes a chair and sits down. "But that could take years."

"It could take forever. Don't forget that I daggered my siblings. They were locked away for years. Maybe I deserve that fate."

"Nobody deserves to lie in a coffin, waiting for someone to find them. That's awful."

"Well I did some awful things, love. What else do you suggest."

She pauses at that. It even seems as if she's really considering an alternative. Why is she here? He doesn't understand. She should be glad that in just a couple of hours she won't have to worry about him anymore. Still, here she is. Sitting right outside his prison door so to speak, wasting her time.

"Well, I may have an idea."

"Let's hear it then."

"To become a hybrid you have to drink the blood of a hybrid, then die, wake up and drink Elena's blood, right?"

"Yes, that sounds about right. Where are you going with this?"

"Well, what if we save some of your hybrid blood and get some of Elena's once she's human again. Then you could turn yourself back into a hybrid and just disappear. The others will think they defeated you and they'll let their guard down. By the time they realize what's happening, you'll be long gone. You wouldn't be an original but at least you would be a hybrid. You would just have to disappear for a while when you're human but after you transition you should be fine. And another plus.. no more turning."

She's pacing around the kitchen now. Wrapped up in her idea. Her beautiful, brilliant idea.

"Caroline.."

"Oh, I know it's a great plan. I don't know how I came up with all that.. It could just work, we would just have to find a way to keep the blood hidden until the right time and keep you out of sight and.."

"Caroline!"

"Yes.. what?"

"As much as I love the idea. Why exactly are you trying to help me?"

The pacing stops and she's staring at him. No not at him, through him. "Because.." He starts walking towards her and that seems to shake her out of her thoughts.

"Because I'm not sure what I want to do.

Because I want a plan B incase I don't like being human anymore.

Because Tyler and I had a huge fight and we broke up and I'm pretty sure we're not getting back together.

Because I don't like what they want to do to you.

Because you love me.

And as I said. Anybody capable of love, is capable of being saved."

They were only millimeters apart now. Only the spell was between them.

"Let me save you, Klaus."

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**Okay, I would be really surprised if this would be the turn the writers of the show would take. But that won't stop me from dreaming..**

**Let me know what you think. What would you like to see happening next?**

**Even if you don't review, thank you for taking the time to read this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Since I'm still in bed feeling terrible, I might as well upload another chapter. Keep in mind, I'm making this up as I go. I haven't spend a lot of time thinking about it so if I get things wrong.. just tell me. Also English is not my mother tongue. I normally speak Dutch. So if I make huge mistakes, let me know so I can correct them.**

**Here we go…**

**Disclaimer: None of the awesomeness of tvd is mine.. unfortunately.**

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**~A Long Time Coming~**

Chapter 2

He was alone once again…

Caroline had left with his blood. He still couldn't believe it. She wanted to save _him_, the evil hybrid. The one who had not only hurt her but also her friends and family. Maybe it was all just too good to be true. Maybe this was all a part of their plan to make him human. Did they need his blood to that? Or maybe to desiccate him?

The more he thought about it the more he became convinced that he was being set up. Caroline really couldn't be that forgiving, could she? But there was something about the way she had said those words, about the way she told him that she wanted to save him. She didn't look like she was lying. But then again how could he be sure?

There was nothing he could do about it while he was imprisoned here. There were three more hours to go until midnight. Then he would have his answer. He could only hope that she didn't use him, the way he had used her before.

As Caroline arrived back at the Salvatore mansion they were still discussing what they would do to the Original trapped in Elena's living room.

Everyone looked up at her for a second and then resumed their bickering. Everyone except for Tyler who wouldn't look at her at all.

They had a huge fight earlier when she had confessed that she didn't know if she wanted to be human again. Tyler had, instead of giving her time to think, totally flipped. He had asked her questions like _'Why do you even have to think about this? Don't you want to grow old in a normal way. Don't you want to finally graduate high school and go on with your life? Don't you want to marry and have children? Does none of that mean anything to you? Don't I mean anything to you?'_

The questions had taken her completely by surprise. Did she want to grow old? Maybe.. Did she want to graduate? Yes, but she could graduate as a vampire too, right? Same thing when it came to marrying someone. She could get married as a vampire. Did she want to have kids? Yes, well at some point she would have loved to have kids, but when she became a vampire she just accepted the fact that it wouldn't happen. Now that she had the chance, she wasn't sure if she still wanted it or not.

Which brought her to the subject of her relationship with Tyler. Did she want to grow old, marry and have kids with Tyler?

No…

And that's when she broke up with him. Or maybe it was the other way around and he broke up with her, she couldn't quite remember. A lot of things were being said in a short amount of time, well not said exactly, more like screamed but anyway.. they broke up. And that was when she had stormed out of the house under the pretence of needing some fresh air.

Why had she gone to see Klaus? No idea.. But the closer she came to the house, the calmer she became. She never even noticed where she was going until she was only a block away.

He was still in the same spot as he was when she had left. The idea to help him had come out of nowhere but it immediately seemed like the right thing to do. The look in his eyes when he was explaining why he didn't want to be human again told her how terrified he actually was, even though he would never admit it. She just wanted to give him a chance, a chance to be saved, to be good, to start over. And yes, she could understand how you could not be just human after years and years of being indestructible. Even she couldn't quite wrap her head around being normal again. What was normal anyway?

So they had worked out the idea and he had given her his blood. Enough for him to become a hybrid and for her to become a vampire. And a little extra just in case she was bitten by a werewolf when she was a vampire and he wasn't around to heal her. Even though according to him, he would always be there to save her. She was still glad she had the backup though.

Now the blood was safely hidden away and she was back at the Salvatore's. Elena caught her eye and mouthed an 'Are you ok?'. She didn't doubt that everyone heard her fight with Tyler. She nodded. Yes, at least, she would be once all of this was over.

"I say we just desiccate him, no matter what he decides. He doesn't deserve to be able to choose." Damon said.

This was her chance so she jumped in. "So someone can find him and bring him back? Then this whole mess can just start all over again. No thank you…"

"They would never find him, Care." Bonnie countered. "I will make sure that no one ever finds him."

"I know Bonn. It's not that I doubt your abilities but just think about it. He has been around for a thousand years. He knows a lot of people, a lot of witches. There will always be someone looking for him. And even if that someone is his enemy. What if they find him and kill him? He'll be powerless right? They'll kill him and his bloodline will disappear. Even though most of us will have become human. There are still a lot of vampires out there who have been turned by him and who don't have the cure. We can't be selfish. I agree not all of them are good, I'm pretty sure some of them are downright evil but there will be vampires out there just like us. Who have friends or who love someone very much. They will die with him. But if we make him human, the ties are severed. He will be miserable for the rest of his life because he'll be weak and alone and I'm convinced that that is not what he wants. So if he lives, he'll spend his lifetime in misery. If he dies.. well good riddance."

"Blondie has a point." Damon smiled. "When he's human, he's in for a lifetime of pain. I'm gonna be the first to re-introduce him to it. I'll make him hurt so bad he'll wish he was dead. The guy hasn't felt pain in years and without the power to heal himself he'll find out just how much a human body can ache."

'Well,' Caroline thought, 'that wasn't completely according to plan' but she couldn't push her luck any further. As long as they didn't kill him it would be fine.. Right?

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**So Klaus is in for a world of pain.. Any ideas what they are going to do to him? Also if Klaus becomes human, what would you want him to experience?**

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this story!**

**See you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Suddenly I realized that today is Thursday so I hurried up and finished this chapter. I've had some difficulty finding the right words and I'm not completely happy with the way this chapter turned out but it had to be written before I could move on to more pleasant subjects. So there you go, I hope it's not too terrible.**

**Disclaimer: TVD rules! But I don't own anything related to the series or books.**

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**~A Long Time Coming~**

Chapter 3

According to the clock in the living room, they arrived at three minutes to midnight. The witch immediately began to unload her bag on the kitchen table, laying out various witchy looking things.

Stefan, Elena and Caroline helped Bonnie sort through the stuff as Damon and Tyler walked over to Klaus who was standing there, waiting.

"So, Mr. Badass.. we decided that we won't give you the options after all." Damon began. Klaus raised an eyebrow at that. Had Caroline really convinced them or were they planning something else? "We're gonna turn your ass human and then we're gonna have a lot of fun." The dark haired Salvatore grinned. "Well _we_ are gonna have a lot of fun, I don't _you're_ gonna like it very much."

Klaus decided to keep his mouth shut. First of all to make sure that they didn't change their mind because of something he might say and secondly because he knew how much it would infuriate the eldest Salvatore if he kept on ignoring him.

He was right, when no reply came, Damon turned his back on him and went over to the others. Tyler on the other hand, kept watching him. Klaus looked him straight in the eyes but the other hybrid didn't even blink.

With a sigh, Klaus went back to the couch. Since they had made up their minds about what they wanted to do to him, the only thing for him to do was wait. The cure appeared to be some kind of spell. The witch was mixing herbs and lighting them on fire. Then she started to chant.

Suddenly it felt like a knife was piercing his heart. He stood up and stumbled towards the group. "I thought you were going to cure me, not kill me." He meant to yell but it came out as a whisper. The only one who reacted was Caroline who looked at him for a split second before turning back to the table.

Did his eyes betray him? Or did he really see worry in her blue orbs? He fell to his knees, his legs unable to support him any longer and in the next moment everything went dark.

00000

As the original fell to his knees, the others turned around to watch him. Once they were sure that he was unconscious, Bonnie took away the spell that locked him inside the living room. It would only be fifteen minutes before he regained consciousness so they had to move quickly.

Damon and Tyler carried him outside and dumped him in the back of the truck. "So we meet at the boarding house?" Tyler asked. The others nodded and climbed into the other car that was parked outside the Gilbert's home.

Once they all arrived at the boarding house, they quickly moved to the sitting room where they put Klaus on a chair and bound his hands and feet tightly so that he wouldn't be able to escape once he woke up. The wanted a little confrontation time before they really started hurting him.

A couple of minutes later Klaus started to stir. Tyler immediately punched him square in the face, making the chair fall over. "Wow, that _does_ make me feel much better." He laughed.

Damon put the chair back upright. "Anyone else want to show dear Klaus how they feel about him?" "I do." Elena replied. She walked up to the no-longer-hybrid and slapped him hard. "That's for my aunt." Klaus growled at her. "How dare you!" but she pretended not to hear her. She slapped him again. "That's for taking my blood to make your precious hybrids." And a third time. "And that's for using and hurting my friends." She took a deep breath and turned on her heels.

"Next?" Damon asked and he had only just uttered those words when Klaus started hollering in pain. Bonnie walked up to him. "Look at me." She said but the original kept his eyes closed. "Look at me!" the witch yelled and Klaus forced his eyes open. "Ever since you came here things went from bad to worse. I hope you suffer the way you made other people suffer. The reason we won't kill you is because you don't deserve to get off so easy. I have never hated anyone quite as much as I hate you. When you do eventually die, I hope you rot in hell." She lifted the curse and left Klaus gasping for breath.

Elena took Bonnie by the hand and together they walked out of the room. Damon turned to Caroline. "Blondie?" But she shook her head. "No, I won't sink to his level. I'll just stand right here and watch." She said. It was only then that Klaus looked at her. This had not been part of the plan. Was she even following their plan or had there never been one to begin with? The others didn't seem to know about their little talk so he assumed she hadn't told them. He could only hope that she was still going to help him.

"Fine.." Damon turned towards his brother. "Stefan?" But Stefan also didn't move. "Well? Aren't you going to hurt him for what he's done to you? He made you go all ripper again. Almost made you kill Elena.." "I know," Stefan replied, "but there is no way I can make him hurt the way I was hurt. So I think that I'm just going to enjoy the thought that he's finally harmless and that karma will find him eventually and that in time he'll pay for what he's done." And with that he walked out of the room.

Damon sighed. "You're lucky that my brother is such a saint." He said as he patted Klaus's shoulder. "What do you say Lockwood? Shall we take him into the forest and finish our little workout there?" Tyler nodded and started undoing the ropes.

Klaus once again met Caroline's eye as they pulled him onto his feet. 'I'm sorry.' She mouthed. He shook his head. No, he had this coming. From the moment they had told him that he'd be human, he had known that they would have their revenge. He was still a bit unfocused by the spell and even if he had been fine there was no way that he could beat them now. He would just have to endure their torture and wait until they had enough. The fact that Caroline had said that she was sorry meant that she was still going to come after him. So he would just have to find strength in that thought and keep going.

Caroline watched as they dragged him out of the room. She knew where they would take him. She knew what they were planning on doing to him, something she didn't really want to think about because she knew how vicious they would be. All she could do was wait until they returned, then she would find a way to get out of the house. She then would go and find Klaus and hope that he would still be alive.

00000

It took them two hours to return and Caroline was becoming a nervous wreck. Of course she acted happy. She had to keep up the act, if they became suspicious they could follow her when she left and then the whole plan would be ruined.

When Damon and Tyler finally arrived they were covered in blood. "He's still alive right?" Elena asked. "Yup," Damon answered as he walked over to her. "we tied him to a tree so that the pissed of werewolves or hybrids can find him in a couple of days when the full moon comes." "But he'll turn as well, won't he?" Bonnie wondered. "Yeah, but he'll be so weak by then that the shackles we bound him with will hold him long enough for the pack to find him." Tyler said.

That was her cue. "Well guys," she began. "I'm glad that this all went the way we wanted, but I'm knackered. I'm going home." The others bid her goodnight and as they moved into the sitting room to have something to drink to celebrate their victory, she walked out of the house and into the forest.

0000

Because of her vampire speed it didn't take her long to get to Klaus. She gasped as she looked over his body. It was covered in bruises, cuts and vampire and hybrid bites. She sat down in front of him and shook him lightly. He was barely conscious so she bit her wrist and let him drink her blood. For once it was the other way around and for some strange reason it gave her a pleasant feeling to be the one to do the saving.

When he started to focus, Caroline gently pulled her wrist away. Klaus looked up at her. "For a moment I thought you weren't coming. I have to admit, I doubted your loyalty." Caroline laughed softly. "I would have had a difficult time myself keeping up the positive thoughts if two guys were hitting the crap out of me." He smiled. "Well, I'm glad that part is over. What do we do now?" "Now," Caroline said as she stood up. "Now, I take you somewhere safe."

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**Okay, so now Klaus is human/werewolf and Caroline is still a vampire. In a couple of days Klaus will have to turn because of the moon. Any thoughts on how that's going to go? Or do you have some ideas for our human Klaus? Things he'll have to get used to all over again? **

**As I said, I'm not very happy with the way this chapter turned out. I'll try to be better next chapter though..**

**Please take a moment to share your thoughts and review. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Aaaaand there we go.. Finally got around to finishing this chapter. I really hope you like it, I just wrote it down as it popped into my head. Yes, Caroline and Klaus have some very interesting conversations in my dreams ;-). Also, a big thank you to everyone who took the time to review and the people who decided that my story was worth following!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but my imagination.**

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**~ A Long Time Coming ~**

Chapter Four

She half-carried him further into the forest. About a year ago, her mother had told her that the old Mr. Turner had been found death in his little house in the forest outside of town. He had died of a heart attack and since then the house had been left empty. Nobody wanted to live that far away from the city. There wasn't even a road.

Not a lot of people knew about the house. Caroline for one only knew of its existence because her mother had told her. She therefore hoped that it would still be unoccupied. At first sight it looked and sounded quiet. As she pushed the front door open the smell of dust and locked up air greeted her. There was no graffiti on the walls or junk on the floor so she guessed that no one had been there since Mr. Turner.

"Great place you have here." Klaus snorted. It surprised Caroline that despite the fact that he was still seriously injured, he could still find the energy to be sarcastic. "It's not mine, but it will have to do." She answered. "Not a lot of people know about this place, certainly not the people that are after you. So make yourself at home.. You'll be here for a while, I'm afraid."

She took him into the living room where she gently made him sit on the couch. It really wasn't _that_ bad. The furniture was just outdated and covered in dust. With a little tlc she reckoned she could make this place livable in just a couple of days. She tried the light switch but nothing happened. 'Duh. The guy's been dead for a year of course there's no electricity.'

"Let me try and find some candles." She said as she walked into the kitchen. After opening nearly every cabinet, she finally found some. There were only a few but they would do for tonight. She would bring some more over tomorrow.

Tomorrow… what had she gotten herself into? She was helping Klaus of all people. A murderer and first class imposter. The guy who had made her life and that of her friends a living hell but still here she was making a list of groceries in her head, things that he might need.

She put the candles on the little table in front of the couch and lit them. The light fell on Klaus' face and the sight was not a pretty one. He looked truly miserable, he was still covered in his own blood, his face was drawn because of the pain he was still in and he was shivering uncontrollably. Caroline could have hit herself in the head, of course he was cold. It was the middle of the night, there was no heating and most importantly he was human now. It had been so long since any of her friends had been human, she had forgotten how to take care of someone.

"I'll be right back." She said and he nodded.

She raced up the stairs and headed into the first bedroom she came across. She was in luck. In the closet there was a pile of blankets. She took all of them downstairs and put them on the ground next to the table. She tore one of them into smaller bits and went back into the kitchen to get some water. The sink had an old pump that got rainwater out of a small reservoir. She wetted the pieces of cloth and went back to Klaus.

He jumped as she sat down next to him. He was probably still fighting to stay conscious. Caroline went to work quickly, dabbing and swiping the blood from his face. He tried to focus on her face but she could tell that even something as simple as that was proving to be difficult for him. She hurried to clean him up further taking one hand and then the other to gently clean them. "Why are you here, Caroline?" he asked quietly. She didn't look up. "You shouldn't talk. Save your energy." He started laughing but it quickly turned into coughing. "See? That's what you get.." Caroline began until she saw that he was actually coughing up blood. That was definitely NOT good. She gave him one of the pieces of the blanket and he continued to spit up blood until the whole thing was drenched in it.

She had to do something so she threw away the cloth she was holding and took the other blankets, draping them over him to keep him warm. She then sat next to him, pulling him against her to try and keep him still and with a flash of teeth she bit her wrist and gave him some more of her blood. It was the only thing she could think of, there was nothing else to help him in this house. There was only herself and her blood. It would have to do.

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The next day Caroline went back to the little house in the woods. She had emptied out all the kitchen cabinets at her house so Klaus would have something to eat. In the closet in her mother's room she had found some of her dad's old clothes. They weren't very fashionable but they would fit him and he really needed a change from the blood soaked ones he was wearing the night before.

She had also found some camping equipment, a little gas stove so that they could at least boil some water or make something warm to eat, and a sleeping bag to keep him warm in general.

'It was weird.' she thought 'Tyler seemed to burn hotter when he became a werewolf but Klaus was so cold. Maybe hybrids are even warmer blooded. Or maybe he had lost too much blood.' She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It had been a horrible sight. The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached and that was something else she desperately tried not to think about. She couldn't get more involved than this. She would help him stay alive and turn him back into a hybrid but that was it. There could be no extra feelings involved.

She took a deep breath as she parked her car behind a cluster of trees, making sure that no one had seen her. Nobody could find out or the whole plan would be ruined. They would hate her for what she had done and they would kill him for sure. No, she had to keep all of this a secret.

She took all of the bags out of the trunk and started walking. Luckily she still had her vampire strength or she would never have been able to carry everything. Later that day she would have to visit the others to decide whether or not she wanted the cure. She still hadn't made up her mind. It wasn't as if she hated being a vampire. She wasn't desperate to become human again like Elena was.

Lost in her thoughts, she made it to the house without even noticing. She had walked the whole way on instinct. 'Another perk of being a vampire.' she thought and smiled.

She opened the front door and had barely set a foot inside before she was almost hit with a stake. She grabbed a hold of her assailant's wrist and pushed him against the nearest wall. It was only then that she realized that it was Klaus. In daylight he looked even worst and he had a wild look in his eyes.

"Klaus," she calmly said, trying not to spook him more, "it's me, Caroline. I brought you some stuff. Is that okay?" His eyes softened a bit and he nodded once. "No more trying to stake me, you hear?" He nodded again so she let go of him to take the bags into the living room. What she saw made her gasp in horror. The place was trashed, there wasn't a single piece of furniture left standing and on top of that, there was blood everywhere.

She turned around to face Klaus who had stepped into the room behind her. "What happened? Who did this?" She asked but then she saw his hands. They were covered in cuts and bruises. He did it. He turned the place upside down. "There was no one else here, was there? Why Klaus? Tell me what happened." He was trying very hard not to look at her. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I woke up on the ground and it was already like this."

Had he done this while he was asleep? It was kinda hard to believe but still, this was Klaus we were talking about. Caroline walked to the couch which was lying upside down and set it back with the right side up. It wasn't too damaged. "Sit down for a bit. I'm going to make you something to eat." She said. He did as he was told and she walked into the kitchen to set up the little stove.

About five minutes later she walked back into the living room with some soup. He hadn't moved from his spot so she sat down next to him. "Careful, it's really hot." she warned as she handed him the cup. He took it from her and started to take tiny sips. After a while his body relaxed a little so Caroline let him finish his soup and started to clean up the room. The coffee table was beyond repair so she put the wood next to the fireplace. They could use that later.

She was trying to fix the dinner table when she suddenly heard him say: "It's the nightmares." "What did you say?" she asked. He turned around to face her. "I get flashbacks from the past. Some terrible things. The part of me that was a vampire could choose to push them away. But now.. that part of me is gone and I can't stop them." He turned back around and said to himself: "Why am I even telling you this?"

The whole situation suddenly made a lot more sense. Klaus got nightmares when he went to sleep. Really bad nightmares. Probably the kind of bad that she couldn't even imagine. And in his sleep-state he reacted to those nightmares but instead of fighting the people in his dreams he destroyed the furniture.

With the room in a somewhat decent state she grabbed another one of her bags and made her way back over to the couch. She took the now empty cup from his hands and started to clean the wounds on his knuckles. He let her but when she started to clean his face he pushed her away. "Enough." he said. "But I'm not done yet..." "I said enough!" he yelled as he stood and started to walk away from her.

"Where do you think you're going? You sit your ass back down here, right this instant.." "Or you'll do what exactly?" he growled as he turned back. "Are you going to starve me? Torture me? Kill me? Or just stare me to death?" She huffed. How dare he? She was helping him wasn't she? "Why are you here, Caroline? Why couldn't you just let me die? We both know that's what's going to happen eventually." "No!" she countered. "We made a deal, a deal I'm planning to see through. And who exactly do you think I am? I'm just trying to help you, I promised that I would help and I never break my promises. So you can whine and be grumpy all you want. Hell, you can even try to stake me every single time I walk through that door. But I will be coming back here as long as it takes us to make you a hybrid again. So just shut up and sit back down so that I can clean you up because you look like someone who stepped out of a horror movie!"

He stared at her for a second. "Just so you know, I didn't really mean to stake you. I heard someone at the door and I just acted." It wasn't really an apology but she knew it was all she would get so she took it. "It's fine. Now please sit back down and let me clean those wounds. I have some spare clothes with me and I'm boiling some water so that you can maybe take a bath, it will help with the pain." "It's really not that bad." he tried but she stopped him. "I see it in the way you move, Klaus. You may have a lot of secrets but that's one thing you can't hide from me. Now suck it up and get back here." He smiled a little, just for a second but she had seen it. His eyes had lit up just a little. It was gone as soon as she noticed, though but at that moment she knew that he would be okay. They would be okay. Whatever she had gotten herself into, it would all work out.

000000

By the time she had succeeded in filling the bathtub with water that was actually hot enough to bathe in, it was almost time to leave. She really had to get to the others or they would start asking questions. She turned around to leave only to find Klaus standing behind her. "I was hoping you would join me." he said with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "Only in your dreams, Klaus." She smiled as she moved past him. "Well, that's for sure." She heard him say as she walked down the stairs. It was nice to hear him joke and flirt again. With the blood gone he sure looked a lot better.

As she walked into the living room she saw that he had forgotten the clean clothes and towels she had laid out for him so she decided to take them upstairs before she left. She sped back up the stairs and walked back into the bathroom while saying "You forgot your.." Only to be met by a very naked Klaus. "Oh.." she mumbled before she started blushing furiously. "Oh!" She spun around quickly, dropped the clothes and towels on the chair next to the door and quickly walked out, closing the door behind her. Halfway down the stairs she heard Klaus starting to laugh. "Shut up!" she yelled. "Come and make me." Was the answer. "Unless you're afraid." Damn him, she couldn't really go back up now could she? But if she didn't he would think she was a coward, which she was not! Darn it! Nobody laughed at Caroline Forbes. So she marched back up the stairs, making sure to stomp her feet so that he heard her coming, and threw the bathroom door open.

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**Yup, I know.. You probably hate me right now.. But think of it this way, now you have the chance to tell me what's going to happen next. The best or most popular idea will be used in the next chapter. Let your imagination run free!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A big thanks to everyone who took the time to review this story. I like hearing your thoughts and ideas, so keep it up ;)**

**Disclaimer: TVD is not mine. Nor will The Originals be. Unfortunately...**

* * *

**~A Long Time Coming~**

Chapter Five

When she opened the door, she saw Klaus sitting in the bathtub. The only thing he was wearing was a huge grin. "Yes, love?" She was about to respond when she saw something move on the wall behind him. She took a step to the left to see what was there at the same time that Klaus turned his head to see what she was looking at. Their eyes simultaneously landed on the huge, black, hairy spider that was crawling towards Klaus' arm. Caroline's normal reaction where she would run out of the room screaming never came because she was too busy laughing at the centuries old man in the bathtub who was trying very hard to get as far away as possible, as fast as possible. This resulted in a lot of splashing and cursing.

Of course he made the situation worse because the spider was washed of its tiny feet by a huge wave and fell into the tub. Klaus then jumped out of the bath, slipped on the wet floor and fell over.

By that time, Caroline was out of breath. She couldn't even remember when she last laughed so hard. Klaus shot her a glare from where he was lying which made her laugh even harder. Yes, she was totally checking him out by the way. Who wouldn't? There's a gorgeous, naked man lying on the floor right in front of you, of course you'll look. Luckily she was still laughing so hard that he probably didn't even notice her eyes sweeping over his body.

His body was perfection. Almost like a marble statue that had taken years and years to shape and reshape until it was exactly right. He had the right amount of muscle, the right amount of now damp hairs scattered over his arms and legs and yes the perfect amount of you know what.

Caroline blushed a little. What was she doing, checking him out like that.

"Are you almost done?" he barked after a minute. "Yes," she smiled, "that was not the way I thought I was going to shut you up but it seems to have worked just fine." She walked out of the bathroom giggling. "I'll be back by sundown!" She yelled as she skipped down the stairs. She heard him grumble something she didn't quite catch. He was probably pissed off beyond believe, thinking he could act all cool and in the end just making a fool of himself.

As she walked back to her car, all she could think was 'Well, what certainly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be'.

0000

The meeting took place in the boarding house. Everyone was already there by the time she arrived. Damon and Elena were having a fight.

"But why?" Elena asked, tears in her eyes.

"Because I actually like being a vampire Elena! I've been like this for a long long time, I can't go back to the way I was before. I wouldn't know how to live."

"But I would be there to help. We could figure it out together."

"I can't, why can't you just accept that?"

"So you're going to pass on the only chance to grow old with the rest of us? You'll be the only vampire left, all of us are going to die at one point and you'll be alone. Is that what you want?"

Caroline sighed silently, leave it to Elena to make a scene. That last thought made absolutely no sense. "He won't be alone." She said.

All the eyes in the room fell on her now. "I've decided not to take the cure."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tyler asked, taking a step in her direction but he stopped as she held up her hand.

"I've thought about this every single second since that cure was found. I don't want to go back to the little insecure high school girl. I like being this strong. And yes there will be things I'm gonna miss but I'm already used to this kind of life and I've decided that I don't want things to change."

"But Care.. think about what you're throwing away! You're never going to be able to grow old with anyone, you'll never have kids!" Elena was redirecting her anger towards her now.

"I know. Not having kids is the thing I'll miss the most. But who knows, I might live an eternity with someone at by my side who won't die from old age or disease."

She saw Tyler frown at that but hey.. they broke up and for some weird reason she just could bring herself to think about the two of them together. The thing they had was a good thing, but it was over. He would find someone else, maybe some nice werewolf girl. From now on she would go her own way, make her own decisions. And that thought actually made her feel warm inside.

0000

By the time she made it back to the cabin, the sun had set. She gone home first to see her mom and to tell her about the cure and her decision to remain a vampire. They had a long talk which ended in a lot of tears on both sides but her mother had at least tried to understand and that was all Caroline really wanted. Then she had asked if it would be okay for her to have some alone time, to which her mother had replied that she could take all the time she needed. So she had taken all the clothes, make-up and other stuff she needed and headed back to the woods.

She hid her car like last time, taking her time to make sure that no one would accidentally find it and walked the last bit to the house. Hopefully Klaus wouldn't mind her staying there, she just couldn't bear seeing anyone else. At least she could make herself useful while she was with him. He would never admit to it but she knew that he was having a lot of trouble adapting.

He was lying on the couch when she walked in. "I thought you'd be back by sunset? I was starting to wonder if you finally decided to leave me alone." "Good evening to you too and no I decided to move in actually." She said with a small smile. He sat up in a flash. Well, not really a flash but as fast as a human could move.

"What do you mean 'move in'?"

"Well, I brought some of my things and I'm staying here for a while."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to see any of my friends or family for a while and you're the only other option." _And I like being here.. with you._ No.. wait, she didn't just think that, did she?

"They didn't like the fact that you decided not to become human?"

"Let's say that they didn't really get my point of view, except for Damon but I'm not gonna move in with him now am I?"

"Well, their loss, my gain." He walked over and took her bags. "Make yourself at home." And with that he walked up the stairs.

She couldn't help but stand there staring at him. Not only didn't he mind in the slightest, he actually seemed pleased that she would be staying AND he was being the perfect gentleman. He had been acting very gentlemanlike in the past but that was just acting right? It was just to win her over. Now it felt genuine. As if he wanted nothing more than to make her feel at ease, make her feel at home. It was kind of funny since it wasn't technically his house but it was nice to see him like this and it DID make her relax.

She sighed and went into the kitchen to put away the food she brought. Meanwhile Klaus was back on the couch and she couldn't help but notice what a mess his hair was.

"Did you wash your hair when you took that bath?" she asked.

There was no reaction.

"You didn't get back in, did you?" she smiled as she remembered the spider incident and how he had panicked. The big, bad Klaus was afraid of spiders… hilarious.

Still no reaction.

"Well, it looks like a half destroyed birds nest." She added.

"Wow, thank you." He finally replied.

It was then that everything fell into place. Not just him being so nice, but also quiet. He was being so incredibly quiet. Why hadn't she noticed before? She took an apple and threw it at him. "Hey, catch!"

There was a flash of pain across his face as he lifted his right arm but he was too late and the apple landed in the corner of the room. He growled in frustration.

"I see." Caroline sighed. "Sorry about that."

He looked away as she walked past him. Upstairs she had seen a small basin. She also took her shampoo and some body lotion which she had brought with her. Back downstairs she put the bottles on the table as he filled the basin first with cold water and then with some of the water she had been boiling to make pasta. Now it was more or less the right temperature, she took it over to the couch. She placed a chair on one end and put the basin on top of it.

"Lay back." She told Klaus who was still not looking at her.

"I don't want you help, Caroline. I thought I made that very clear."

"And I thought that I made it clear that I don't care. Your shoulder still hurts so why can't you just let me wash your hair? It's not a big deal."

"Because I hate being weak like this. If I need you to wash my hair then that means that I'm pathetic, so pathetic in fact that I don't even deserve to be alive."

"Don't say that."

"Well, I just did. Now just leave me alone."

"That's not gonna happen and you know it." She whispered as she moved to sit next to him.

The look in his eyes when he turned to face her was one of hatred but she could see something else, something hidden behind all that anger. He couldn't hide from her. She saw him just the way he was and he was scared. She understood of course, he had been a powerful creature for a thousand years. Others were always afraid of him because they knew what he could do. But now he was just a werewolf, like there were so many. He was no longer special. No one would fear him now.

"It's just me here, Klaus." She tried. "I know that you still want to act all tough as if nothing can touch you but that's not the way things are right now. You're hurt, you don't have superpowers and I'm the only one who has seen you like this. I'm the only one who knows these things. Trust me, I'm not going to take advantage of your moment of weakness. Remember that I want to help you to become a hybrid again. In the meantime, let me help you until you can do it by yourself."

"I hate that you have to see me like this."

"I get that, but that's just the way it is. I'll try to forget when things are back to normal." She said with a wink.

He smiled a little at that. "That doesn't make me like this situation anymore and you know it."

"Yup, but once again, it's just me. No one else will find out. And by the way, I thought you liked me. Why don't you just relax and enjoy me actually touching you."

Klaus full out laughed at that. "Well, when you put it like that."

"I thought so." And with that she stood up and moved back to the basin putting a towel over the side to support his neck when he lay down. "Now hurry up or the water will be cold."

He finally gave in and laid back. She washed his hair with her shampoo. "Now you'll smell like me." "I don't mind, I like the way you smell." She blushed at that, glad that his eyes were closed and rinsed his curls.

0000

After washing his hair, it was like the wall he had built around him was broken down. Or at least part of it. As Caroline was preparing the pasta, Klaus even walked into the kitchen to help her. It should have been weird having such an evil being slicing tomatoes right next to her. But it almost felt.. normal.

If anything, it made her feel a bit lightheaded. As she watched him prepare the vegetables, she couldn't help but notice how good he was with his hands. So sure and focused. I made her wonder how his hands would feel on her skin, but she shook her head and banished the mental pictures from her thoughts. She couldn't go there. If she was going to do this, staying at the same house as him, she would have to shield herself from his looks and moves.

Her eyes fell on a scar on his wrist and suddenly something hit her.

"Klaus, when is the next full moon?"

It could have been a simple question, something you ask someone over dinner but with their supernatural lives it held a completely different meaning. Klaus would have to turn. He was a werewolf, not a hybrid, there was no choice. And to make matters worse, Tyler and his werewolf friends would be hunting him down.

He looked at her with something close to despair in his eyes.

"Tomorrow."

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**Next chapter: A nightmare-filled night and the preparations for the transformation.**

**If you have ideas, let me know!**

**Please review, I want to do better every time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Someone asked me what will happen when Klaus becomes a hybrid again, whether he will have his original hybrid (only killable with a white oak stake) powers back or if he'll be a hybrid like Tyler. The answer is.. he'll never go back to his original form. Esther made them with magic and they will do it with blood so he'll be a hybrid like Tyler. Thank you for your question btw!**

**Disclaimer: Oh how I wish that I could decide what happens on the show but unfortunately none of it is mine…**

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**~A Long Time Coming~**

Chapter Six

There was a long silence before Caroline finally spoke. "What are we going to do?"

"WE are not going to do anything, love. I am going to become a wolf and YOU are going to stay as far away from me as possible."

Caroline tried to ignore the fact that he had once again called her 'love' and the way it sent a shiver down her spine. _Get a grip!_ So she fought him with everything she had.

"No way, Klaus. I'm not going to leave. I want to help."

"There's nothing you can do, you'll just end up getting hurt. What if I bite you? You could die!"

"I still have some of your blood remember."

"Which is for emergencies. Not because we were too stupid to prepare ourselves for the possible consequences of you staying with me when I become a wolf."

"But I.."

"No, absolutely not. It will be hard enough for me to be _forced_ to change, I can't be sure how I will react. There's a chance that I won't be reasonable, that I won't recognize you because of the pain. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Why can't you let me decide for myself?" she sighed. Why was he so set on sending her away?

"Because you'll make the wrong decision! Only I know what I was like when I first became a vampire. It was something completely new to me. A feeling so foreign that I didn't know how to handle it. Now I'll become a pure werewolf for the first time. If I can't handle it and I do end up hurting you… I can't imagine turning back to my human form and finding you.. It would kill me. Don't do that to me. I know you don't necessarily like me but you can't hate me _that_ much."

Caroline was dumbfounded. When she had said that she knew he loved her back in the Gilbert living room, she had said it on a hunch. She knew that he _liked_ her, _fancied_ her and that he _wanted_ her but now she got the feeling that she really wasn't too far off. He really _cared_. Which made her in turn realize how much she really cared about him.

It scared the hell out of her but there was no denying it. Why else would she have been trying to get him to accept her help? She wanted to be there for him when he went through the pain of changing into a wolf. She wanted to make him feel better. She wanted to take care of him. She wanted _him_. Or at least she thought she wanted all of that. How had things changed so fast, they had only been living together for a couple of days. She had to let these feelings sink it, really take the time to think it over. This was still Klaus we were talking about.

She decided right there and then that you wouldn't fight the feelings anymore. Just let them evolve the way they would and wait and see. Give it a chance. If he still screwed up then she could honestly say that she gave it a shot.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Klaus watching her closely, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Caroline! Are you listening?"

"Yes, sorry, what?"

"You were gone for a minute there. I was saying that I really just want you to be safe."

"I know. Just let me prepare with you tomorrow and we'll see what happens then."

He sighed. "You're not giving up, are you?"

"Nope," she smiled. "but let's stop worrying about things we can't change and just enjoy dinner for now."

"Sounds good." He said taking the plates and cutlery to the dinner table.

Caroline watched him go. She would never let him go through the transition alone. Maybe she would make him believe he could actually win that fight but in the end she would be there. She took her cell phone out of her purse and started making a list of things she had to take care of before tomorrow evening. She would protect him the best she could. She just hoped that it would be enough.

0000

The sleeping arrangements was another thing they argued about. There were two bedrooms upstairs but only one was useable for the moment, the other one was full of all kinds of stuff and it would take them at least a day to clean it out.

So they had one bed and one couch.

Of course Klaus insisted that Caroline would take the bed, saying that beautiful girls needed their beauty sleep.

Caroline on the other hand wanted Klaus to sleep in the bed because he was still healing and because he would need all of his energy tomorrow. He wouldn't listen to her, though. Eventually, he just crawled into the sleeping bag on the couch and turned his back to her.

"You do realize that right now I'm stronger than you, right? I could just drag you upstairs and push you into that bed." Caroline smiled.

"That doesn't sound so bad actually, maybe under different circumstances?"

She snorted, "Yeah right." But she turned on her heels and as she walked up the stairs she called down. "Good night, Klaus."

"Sweet dreams, love." Was his answer.

Again with the 'love'. That guy really knew how to sweet talk. Still his words made her think about something else as well. She remembered the other day when he had trashed the house because of his nightmares. She just hoped that tonight would be a good night.

In the bedroom she opened the window and jumped outside. Having a human in the house made her hungry and as tasty as the pasta had been, she still needed that little extra. She would compel herself some blood-bags tomorrow while she was in town. For now rabbit would have to do. She sniffed the air and set off for her midnight snack.

0000

By the time she was back in her room she sensed that something was off, so she went downstairs to check on Klaus. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard him sobbing and her heart broke a little. How long had he been like this? She had only been away for an hour but still… she should have been here.

"Klaus?" she started.

"Oh god," he managed between sobs, "No! Go away. Please just go away."

"What's wrong?" she asked, ignoring his pleas.

"It doesn't concern you. Leave me be."

"Not gonna happen." She whispered as she sat down on the couch next to where he was holding his head in his hands.

She was torn. What was she supposed to do? She had done a fair share of the consoling when it came to her friends. But he wasn't really a friend.

She put a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened so she pulled it back.

"Tell me what to do. How can I make it better?" she asked.

He just shook his head. "There's nothing you can do."

"There has to be something."

"Can you bring back my brother from the dead?" he asked, turning his head and looking her in the eye.

"Kol?" she asked. "I'm so sorry."

"No, is the answer you are looking for, sweetheart. No, you can't bring him back. And he's not the only one. There's Finn, there's Henrik…"

"Henrik?"

He nodded. "He was the one I was thinking about. He's in one of the nightmares, the one I have most often. I killed him, Caroline. I killed my own brother. That's how much of a monster I really am."

"What happened?" She was preparing herself for a story about how he lost control, how he was so angry, so aggressive..

"It happened before we became vampires. The village we lived in had a large pack of werewolves. Every full moon we hid ourselves in the caves beneath the village but one night Henrik and I went outside to watch them. It was against the rules but we were young and foolish and we went anyway. The wolves smelled us immediately. We tried to run and hide but they caught up with us in a matter of minutes. Eventually I got Henrik away from them and we hid until morning. I brought him back to the village but it was too late."

Caroline watched the man sitting next to her. Of all the stories she had expected, this was not one of them. Yes, they had been foolish but it was not as if Klaus singlehandedly killed his own brother. The werewolves killed his brother, there was nothing Klaus could have done, he was only human at the time. Which reminded her..

"Klaus, you can't have killed your brother. If you did the werewolf-gene you already had, would have been activated. That only happened when you killed as a vampire, right?"

He looked at her and slowly nodded. "It is still my fault though."

"I really doubt that. Those werewolves killed your brother. You're not guilty of anything except trying to save him. Klaus.. there was nothing you could do."

Tears were streaming down his face now and Caroline gathered all the courage she had to lift her hand and brush them away. He closed his eyes but let her.

"How can you be this nice? After everything I have done to you.." He whispered.

"Because you _have_ done a lot of horrible things in your lifetime but killing Henrik is not one of them. And I can't sit here and watch how you beat yourself up about it when it was not your fault to start with. I know that the memory hurts you but now, after a thousand years you really should realize that it was an accident and that there was simply nothing, absolutely nothing you could do."

He actually laughed a little at that. "I don't deserve you, love. I never will."

She felt that the conversation was over and she didn't want to push him on the subject anyway. He had opened up to her about something that meant a great deal to him. She could only hope that he would think about what she had said and maybe feel a little better about it.

"Whether you deserve me or not, you're stuck with me for the moment and after all the trouble we went through trying to decide who was going to sleep where, I'm gonna go back upstairs and enjoy my bed for the night. Try to get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

As she walked out of the living room she heard a quiet "Thank you." If it wasn't for her vampire hearing she would never have caught it. She turned back towards him. "Anytime.."

0000

She was up very early the next morning. Even the birds were only just waking. Klaus was still asleep, snoring away quietly. She left him a note saying that she was heading into town to take care of some things and that she would be back soon.

It was a good feeling, having to take care of someone, leaving them notes and stuff. The conversation they had was still fresh in her memory. There were probably a lot of other stories like that one. Things of which he took the blame even though it wasn't his fault. She could start to see a different Klaus, a better Klaus. She really wanted to know how his past had shaped him to the hybrid she knew. She would have to dig deep and hard and he would probably freak out on multiple occasions but she would get the whole picture eventually. She had time on her side.

After she compelled the clerk at the town hall to put Klaus as the owner of the house (since he was human, that would keep any other vampires out) she made sure to compel the right people so that they would have both electricity and hot water. Then she went shopping.. for chains, blood.. and new clothes for Klaus. Since her father's clothes fitted him more or less she knew what sizes to get and soon she was on her way back to the woods.

When she got to the house, she couldn't enter. 'Right, 'cause I'm a vampire.' She sighed and knocked. It took Klaus a while to open the door and immediately the smell of food hit her nose. Whatever he had been making smelled absolutely divine!

"Why are you knocking?" he asked as he put the towel he was holding over his shoulder.

"Congratulations! You now officially own this house. Please invite me in.."

He smiled that beautiful smile and said: "And what if I don't?"

"Then I will be really disappointed because I have brought gifts that I can't use myself and it would be a shame to have to throw them away. Aaaaand I would be super pissed as well because whatever you're cooking is smelling so very very very good and I'm so hungry, so please hurry up and let me in… Pretty please?"

She gave him the puppy eyes look and he laughed. "Okay, but let me enjoy this for a moment, I have never before invited anyone into my home. I was always the one who needed an invitation."

"Okay, okay but hurry…" she laughed.

"Good, I'm over it. Come on in." he grinned as he walked back towards the kitchen. "Leave the presents on the table, you got me all curious."

She stepped inside and closed the door, following him and putting the new clothes on the dinner table. She left the chains in the bag. Those were for after dinner when they prepared for tonight. Was it just her or did that thought sound really kinky. She shook her head as Klaus walked back into the living room, what was happening to her?

"There, that needs another twenty minutes. Show me what you got."

"Tadaaaaaaa.. I got you clothes. Watching you walk around in my father's clothes makes me feel a bit sad so I bought you new ones. It's a bit of everything, just have a look. I hope you like them."

"What did you buy yourself?" He asked as he took a t-shirt from the pile.

"Nothing." _Some things for your safety.. _"Why?"

"You went shopping and you only bought things for me? Impressive.."

"Hey.. not fair! I may be a girl but I can control myself. I tried to get myself an internet connection thought but there are too many trees around here so it didn't work.." she joked.

"Well, I am going to take these upstairs and try them on. I'll be back in a minute."

"I'd say don't hurry as long as you make sure that the food doesn't burn… I take it you have about fifteen minutes left."

When she heard the bathroom door close she quickly put the blood in the freezer and then flashed to the little door in the hall. She had noticed it yesterday but never got the chance to see what was behind it. She whispered a quiet "Yes!" as her suspicions were confirmed, there were stairs leading down to a basement. Now she only had to convince Klaus to let her help him through the transformation. Then they could take the whole afternoon to set everything up.

After making sure that he was still busy upstairs, she took the bag with the chains and went down into the small basement. It wasn't very big but at least she could stand. There were some reinforcements in the wall that she could use to fasten the chains, they would just have to try and see how he would be comfortable.

The bathroom door opened upstairs, so she left everything, turned off the lights and sped back to the living room.

She was sitting on the couch when Klaus walked in, dressed in dark jeans and a green shirt.

"Looks good." She complimented.

"Why thank you, love." He smiled as he walked past her towards the kitchen. "I do feel a bit strange though, I never had a girl buy me underwear before."

She blushed a little at the thought and giggled: "Yeah I guess it's mostly the other way around. Guys buying girls lingerie."

"I'll return the favor one day."

That comment of course made her blush even more. Luckily he was still in the kitchen so he couldn't see her. Boy, she was in soooo much trouble.

When they finished their lunch, Caroline decided that it was time to bring up the transformation. Judging by the look in his eyes, he still didn't trust her and her decision to be involved in all of this.

"Before you start judging, just let me finish explaining my idea, okay?"

He nodded once so she went for it.

"Okay, when Tyler first started changing, he chained himself up. It works.. It's not a lot of fun but it works. I went into the basement earlier and it's doable. We could make sure that the door is unbreakable so that if you do break lose, you still can't get out. That way I can stay close and still be safe."

"Caroline.." but she held up her hand and he stopped.

"Don't try to persuade me, I've given this a lot of thought. When you're chained up, I can be in the basement with you. When things start to go south, I retreat to the hall. I'll be safe. It'll be fine."

"There really is nothing I can do to change your mind, is there?"

"No. Just let me help you, Klaus. I wouldn't be this persistent if I wasn't sure."

He just stared at her for a long time. After a while he smiled and said: "Well, I guess I better try to enjoy it then."

0000

The afternoon flew by and all too soon the moon began to rise. Klaus had chained himself to the walls and was sitting on the floor looking up at Caroline who had picked out a spot on the stairs.

"You know, you can still leave." He said, breaking the silence.

"I'm not going anywhere, stop trying to convince me to leave, it's a waste of breath." Was her answer.

The basement fell silent again, both of them waiting for that inevitable moment when the moon would reach its peak and the transformation would begin.

Klaus winced slightly as his bones started to itch and Caroline sat up immediately.

"You okay?"

"Yeah fine."

He winced again and repositioned himself on the cold tiles, his body now really aching. It wouldn't be long now. Any moment his body would start to reform.

"Caroline, if you don't want to see this then turn away now. I can feel it coming, I just want you to be prepared."

"Don't worry, just let it go. Don't try to fight it, I guess. Just try to come back to me when you're fully changed."

"I said it before but I just have to say it again. I don't deserve you, I can't believe you're here, why would you do that for me, I don't underst.. aah.." He bent over, the muscles in his back shifting.

Caroline crept a little closer to him. As long as she didn't see his fangs she figured she was fine. "Hey," she whispered reaching towards him.

"No!" he scrambled back "Don't, Caroline, please, stay away."

"Ssshhhh, it's okay. Come here, come closer."

"I can't, I can feel my body straining against my human form, it's going to happen any moment now."

"Then give me the seconds you have left, don't be scared, I'm here because I want to be. Come to me."

And he did, he crawled towards her on all fours and she held him tight. Everything changed in that moment. All the feelings she was so unsure of came crashing down onto her. She stroked his hair as he shook against her.

"It's going to be okay. After tonight we're gonna sit down and have a long talk because there are some things I want to tell you. One of them is that I care about you, Klaus. I care so much when it comes to you.. The rest I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now, I'm here by your side. We're gonna do this together, you hear?"

He nodded and started to move away from her. She let him. It was obvious that he was going to do the transformation now. Only a few seconds later Klaus howled and the breaking of bones started.

Caroline could only sit back and wait. The process was strangely amazing and horrific at the same time. She could clearly see the bones breaking and reattaching. How she wanted to ease his pain, but there was nothing she could do for him.

It seemed to take forever and just when Caroline thought that she would go crazy from the screaming and howling it stopped and in front of her stood a big brown wolf. He looked at her as if he was saying 'So what now?' and she sat up a little straighter.

"Klaus?" She tried.

He took a step towards her and she scooted back up the stairs, just to be safe. They should have thought about this, it wasn't as if he could communicate. If only they had thought of a sign or something.

"How can I be sure you're you?" she mused aloud.

For a second he just looked up at her. Then he very slowly laid down with one paw stretched out towards her as if he was reaching for her.

She smiled. "Look who's being a good boy."

He actually glared at her which made her laugh out loud. "I'm sorry I couldn't help myself."

She figured that it was safe and slowly went down the stairs, knelt down in front of him, stretched out a shaky hand and softly stroked the fur between his ears on the top of his head. He closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the feeling.

"You're so beautiful." She whispered and she meant it. He was the most extraordinary thing.

But then his eyes opened and they were yellow like she remembered from his hybrid days and she only had a millisecond to react before he was up and ready to pounce on her. She barely made it out of his reach before the chains pulled him back. She could actually hear his jaw snap shut. That was enough to send her out of the door and into the hall. He was not himself, she couldn't even be sure that the little moment they had was real. It could have been an act to get her closer.

She could hear him pull against the restraints, so far they were still holding him. He howled in frustration and Caroline couldn't help but feel as if she had failed him. She promised him that she would stay but she fled. Even though he probably just wanted her to be safe, she had left his side and she felt really bad about it.

She slid down the door, put her head on her knees and hugged her legs. She couldn't go back down, he was going crazy in there. She knew that even if he made it out of the chains, he would never make it out of the door, so maybe she could try and communicate through the barrier.

She turned around and sat on her knees. The moment he stopped growling, she started hammering on the door and then she yelled. "I'm still here, Klaus. I'm sorry I ran out but I'm not running any further. I'll be right here."

The struggling started anew. She could only hope that he had heard her, whether he was in control or not.

The hours went by and every once in a while she knocked on the door to let him know that she was still there.

Eventually morning came. The birds woke up and the sun rose.

The moment she knew that the moon was gone, she threw open the door and made her way down the stairs.

Klaus was laying on the floor, naked and unconscious. He had managed to free one of his feet but other than that the chains were still intact. Caroline took them off and carried him upstairs to the couch where she gently laid him down and covered him up.

She stood there, watching him for a while when suddenly her cell phone started beeping. It was a text. A text from Tyler.

_Pack went to find Klaus last night but he was gone. Rain washed away any trail there might have been. We lost him. Be careful! He might still be around. T._

She looked back to the man sleeping on the couch and could only feel glad that he was 'still around'.

* * *

**This is a bit longer than the chapters I normally write but I didn't know where else to stop. If I cut this chapter in half it would have been pathetically short so I kept it as a whole.**

**I really hope you like it. I tried to keep the Caroline we all know and let her struggle with her feelings a little but not too much because well.. we all know that there are already some feelings there, she's just not willing to give into them.**

**Klaus on the other hand I tried to write as human as possible. I hope I managed.**

**Anyways.. let me know.. I've been loving the reviews! Thank you so much!**


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